According to his mother, eight year old Kieran Sorkin is “a little apprehensive but excited” to receive two new ears, a much awaited operation since the Michael Sobell Sinai pupil has lived without a set of ears his whole life.
Kieran was born with bilateral microtia, a rare condition meaning that he was born with no ears and only 20 per cent hearing.
Kieran’s mother, Louise Sorkin, 37, said she was shocked when her son was born.
“I was in labour and my husband just went: where are his ears? It was a real shock for us, I had just given birth and it felt like a huge rollercoaster. We were stunned,” she said.
Mrs Sorkin explained that it was Kieran who begged for an operation because “he couldn’t make any friends. All the children wanted to talk about was his ears, and he doesn’t want to talk about his ears. He just wants to make friends and get on with it.”
This time next year life will change for Kieran as the surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital have agreed to perform an operation taking some of Kieran’s rib cartilage and grafting two ear-like “pockets” on either side of Kieran’s head.
“These surgeons are amazing, I have learnt so much,” said Mrs Sorkin, a member of Bushey United synagogue. She explained that the six-hour operation will not improve Kieran’s hearing but it will “stop children from asking questions.”
Two weeks ago, Kieran’s 10-year-old sister Mia, alongside Kieran’s classmate Ayalet Ezekiel, cut their hair to raise money for the Jewish Deaf Association and Chai Cancer Care. So far, the girls have raised £1,300 and their hair is being donated to Israeli cancer charity Zichron Menachem in order to make wigs.
Mrs Sorkin said: “Mia’s amazing. She knows that she has done her bit, as a sister, to help her brother.”
Sue Cipin, executive director of the JDA, said: “It was a wonderful gesture of Mia and Ayelet to have their beautiful hair cut off to help raise funds for the Jewish Deaf Association’s work with children.
We are delighted to have been able to support the Sorkin family over the years and the girls’ kindness and generosity means that we will be able to continue helping other families give the best possible start in life to their deaf children.